Quote:
Originally posted by sgtclub
[joke] Those individuals would probably be breaking some campaign finance law if they did [/joke].
And one man's payoff is another's representative government. Seriously, do you couch it the same way when the Teachers' Unioins, ACLU or Planned Parenthood gives $ to certain candidates? Are those organizations buying off the legislatures?
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We are dealing here with lots of 19th century organizations but with a constitution drafted in the 18th century, before either corporate statutes or labor unions existed. To the founders, a corporation was a creature created by special act of the legislature or by charter from king, parliament or legislature, and it had only those rights which were specifically granted to it and no others. Corporations were few and far between, but represented very large and powerful interests.
But I am not a big fan of original intent jurisprudence, so I'm happy to see us extent some constitutional protections to cover entities that really came into being long after the constitution. And the first amendment simply prohibits congress from restricting freedom of speach, without saying whose speech is being protected.
But let me ask this, if Congress cannot restrict the speach of corporations, should it also not restrict the speach of non-citizens? Illegal aliens? Foreign persons who are just visiting? People abroad, such as those our military deals with in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do other rights accrue to such people as well?
